Democrat lawmakers’ Congress boycott labeled anti-Semitic by McCarthy.
House Democrats Divided Over Boycott of Israeli President’s Speech
House Democrat and GOP leadership diverged on July 14 on progressive Democrats who have said they will boycott Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s speech next week before a joint session of Congress.
Reps. Jamal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) have confirmed they will not attend Mr. Herzog’s address on July 19.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) criticized those skipping the speech.
“It’s unfortunate,” he told The Epoch Times. “I think antisemitism shouldn’t be anywhere and especially shouldn’t be inside Congress.”
Mr. McCarthy added that boycotting the address is antisemitic.
However, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) appeared to give a pass to those who are declining to attend the speech.
“Members make individual decisions, but I can tell you that I expect there will be an incredibly robust turnout and participation among House Democrats on Wednesday,” he told The Epoch Times.
On the other hand, House Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) gave a simple condemnation.
“Look, I think their actions speak for themselves, and so I’ll just let you leave you with that,” he told The Epoch Times.
When asked by The Epoch Times on July 13 if he’ll be at the July 19 address, Rep. Bowman said, “No. I don’t think Israel has gone far enough in protecting and uplifting Palestinian rights and Palestinian lives.”
“The violence there’s been escalating over the last couple of years,” he said, adding that Palestinians are under “occupation,” even though many live are under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, not Israel.
Mr. Bowman noted he has “been calling for full citizenship for the Palestinians” in Israel and that there needs to be a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“And we’re nowhere near that,” the New York congressman said, referring to the prospects for a two-state solution.
Pro-Israel groups slammed Mr. Bowman for announcing he’ll pass on attending Mr. Herzog’s speech.
“J Street is aligned with the anti-Israel fringe. J Street’s ‘champion’ @JamaalBowmanNY is boycotting the Israeli president’s speech to Congress. Undermining Democratic support for Israel … @jstreetdotorg is many things, but it’s not pro-Israel,” posted the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Twitter.
J Street, a progressive organization highly critical of Israel, did not respond to a request for comment.
“Far-left radical Democrat @JamaalBowmanNY will boycott Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s speech to Congress, joining antisemite @IlhanMN,” the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) said in a tweet.
“Remember when @USJewishDems congratulated Bowman and said they were ‘confident he is committed to the priorities of Jewish voters’? We do,” continued the RJC, referring to the Jewish Democratic Council of America.
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